Tag Archives: doctor-patient communication

How to Tell Grandpa He Is Too Old for Another Colonoscopy

Posted on January 16, 2018

Shutterstock Cancer screening can save lives: Mammographies reduce the chance women will die of breast cancer; and colonoscopies reduce the chance people will die of colon cancer. But should my 93-year-old father receive a screening colonoscopy? The test is uncomfortable, … Continue reading →

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Don’t Let Your Physician Tell You What To Do Without Finding Out Your Goals

Posted on October 7, 2016

A recent study of men with early-stage prostate cancer found no difference in 10-year death rates, regardless of whether their doctors actively monitored the cancers for signs of growth or eradicated the men’s cancers with surgery or radiation. What does … Continue reading →

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Here’s How a Great Doctor Helps Her Patient Make a Cost-Conscious Treatment Decision

Posted on April 29, 2016

Sometimes in my research on physician/patient communication, I come across a doctor who is so good with her patients, I have to share their bedside manner with you. The most recent example is a (to remain unnamed) oncologist in the … Continue reading →

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Reducing Healthcare Waste: Don’t Expect Patients To Take The Lead

Posted on March 25, 2016

Lena Wright’s best friend was hunched over like a character from a French novel, with spinal bones so thin they would fracture with a fit of sneezing. Determined to avoid that fate, Wright (a pseudonym) asked her primary care doctor … Continue reading →

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The Wrong Way To React When Terminally Ill Patients Cry

Posted on March 18, 2016

Just three weeks earlier, she had noticed something strange about one of her breasts. An irregular shape. Her daughter brought her to the doctor, and soon the patient, I’ll call her Amanda, was diagnosed with breast cancer, stage “to be … Continue reading →

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Are Doctors Ready to Talk about Health Care Costs with Patients?

Posted on August 4, 2014

While I was on vacation, I spoke with reporter about a topic near and dear to my heart – importance of getting clinicians to talk about health care costs with their patients. The reporter put together a very nice piece … Continue reading →

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How To Tell Someone That She Is Dying

Posted on July 11, 2014

Elizabeth’s breast cancer had already spread to her bones and was now invading lymph nodes in her right armpit, causing painful swelling that kept her up at night. Today, however, as she walked into her oncologist’s office, Elizabeth felt like … Continue reading →

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If Costs Are Unknown, Can Doctors Still Talk About Them?

Posted on June 17, 2014

I have been writing a bit lately on the need for healthcare providers to talk with their patients about healthcare costs, if for no other reason than to enable patients to determine whether they can afford to pay for the healthcare that … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Policy, Medical Decision Making, Uncategorized | Tagged , ,

New Review of Critical Decisions

Posted on May 15, 2014

My heart was warmed by a new, and very positive, review of a Critical Decisions. I always find myself agreeing with people who liked my book. Funny thing. Anyway, here is the review: “This is a very belated review. And … Continue reading →

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Want narcotics just ask for them?

Posted on April 2, 2014

A very disturbing new study was just published, in which physicians viewed a video of a patient with back pain asking for OxyContin. Twenty percent of docs said they would prescribe that med under that circumstance: …Too often, doctors prescribe … Continue reading →

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